A richly flavoured, peppery-hot puree of char-grilled peppers, chilli, onion and garlic makes the perfect partner for a firm, meaty fish steak that is cooked quickly over a high heat.
ingredients
serves: 4
4 tuna, or swordfish, steaks, about 6 ounce each
for the sauce:
2 medium red peppers
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 small fresh red chilli
1 large slice whole wheat bread
1 lime
1 tablespoon tomato puree
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper
method
1. Preheat the grill to high. To make the sauce, rinse, deseed and halve the red peppers lengthways. Halve the onion across. Put them onto the grill, skin sides up, with the unpeeled cloves of garlic. Grill for 10 minutes or until the skins are slightly charred.
2. While the vegetables are grilling, rinse, deseed and chop the chilli. Dice the bread. Wash any wax from the lime, then grate the rind and squeeze the juice.
3. When the grilled peppers, onion and garlic are cool enougb to handle, peel them and put the flesh into a food processor with the chilli, bread, tomato puree and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add half the lime rind and juice, reserving the rest. Process the mixture to a puree, then season to taste with salt and black pepper. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl and set aside.
4. Brush a ridged griddle pan or a large, heavy-based skillet with the remaining oil and place it over a very high heat. Lightly season the fish steaks and fry them for 4 - 6 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, turning them over once.
5. Sprinkle the steaks with the remaining lime rind and juice and serve with the hot pepper sauce, either spooned round the fish or served separately in a bowl.
Serving suggestion The cool flavours of Spinach and Baby Corn Salad would complement the hot sauce.
